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Odder ClubMorro Bay · California

About the club

A community of Odders

We are a Morro Bay community built around cold water immersion and breath work — a simple practice with a long reach into how you feel, think and recover.

55°F
Current water temperature in the bay
Scheduled Dips
Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday at Coleman Beach, year round
Est. 2022
From two odders to a 501(c)(3) club
All levels
No experience required, ever

Our story

The creation of the Morro Bay Odder Club was a blend of inspiration and luck.

What started as a handful of people wading into the bay became a club dedicated to the health and well-being of the world. No gatekeeping, no experience required. You show up, you breathe, you get in the water, and you leave different than you arrived.

As more people joined, the idea of a club emerged. DeLayna was on board from the start and enlisted her husband, Bill, whose experience and business sense got the club organized. Soon there was a website and a Meetup group. Despite her declining health, DeLayna kept joining us in the water and became the heart of this growing community. Her generosity is what officially established the Morro Bay Odder Club.

  1. February 2022

    One odder, one cold morning

    Russ starts dipping at Coleman Park after finding the Wim Hof Method.

  2. That spring

    Mother Odder arrives

    DeLayna Luffee stops on the path to the Rock, and a friendship becomes a community.

  3. 2023

    A club, on paper

    Bill brings the structure, a website and a Meetup group follow, and the dips grow.

  4. Today

    Saturdays, together

    Breath work on the sand, everyone in the water, nobody dips alone.

We lost DeLayna on September 14, 2023. She will always be our Mother Odder, her spirit guiding everything we do.
In memory of DeLayna Luffee

Why we do it

The Morro Bay Odder Club is dedicated to the health and well-being of the world. We are here to support anyone interested in experiencing this form of physical and mental therapy.

Nature's perfection

We are in a near-perfect setting: clean, cool ocean water inside a nature preserve with a thriving and diverse wildlife population, easy access, and a moderate climate year round. Few places anywhere match it.

Safety and how sessions run

Each dip is guided from start to finish. We begin with breathwork before entering the water, and as a group, we look out for and support one another every step of the way.

  • Guided breath work before anyone enters the water.
  • Group stays together — nobody dips alone.
  • Gradual acclimation: short first entries, longer as your body adapts.
  • Time in the water set by conditions, not by ego.
  • A signed waiver on file for every participant, every season.
  • If you have a heart, lung or circulatory condition, talk to your doctor first.

Who to ask

Russ Miyoshi runs the club and answers everything from “is it too cold?” to group bookings. Send a note.

Morro Bay Odder Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 33-4560468. Your donations are tax deductible.

Five smiling club members shoulder to shoulder in the water with Morro Rock behind them

Morro Bay, in the water together

  • Members sitting on the rocks in towels and blankets, warming up after a dip
  • Four bathers in soft grey water beside a moored boat on a misty morning
  • A group of odders waving and giving thumbs up from the water in front of Morro Rock

Who runs it

Officers

President

Russ Miyoshi

Russ returned to the Central Coast 38 years after graduating from Cal Poly SLO in 1983 and knew he had found home again. He soon took on a new mental challenge: cold water immersion in the bay at Morro Rock. Inspired by Wim Hof, he set out to learn the benefits of the cold while testing his own mental toughness. It wasn't until a second odder joined him that he could stay in the 55-degree water — eventually up to 35 minutes. Through that, the importance of community became as clear as the Morro Bay water.

Treasurer

Bill Luffee

DeLayna's husband. Morro Bay has been Bill's home for 25 years and the county for 50. A Cal Poly graduate, local business owner and landlord, he co-founded two local nonprofits — The Friends of the Morro Bay Harbor Department and the Morro Bay Open Space Alliance — and served seven years on the Harbor Advisory Board.

Secretary

Christine Forney

A 1989 Cal Poly graduate, Christine brings 25 years of real estate expertise to her role as Secretary. She serves both San Luis Obispo County and the Bay Area, and keeps club operations and communication running smoothly while promoting community health through cold water immersion.

Founder · in memory

DeLayna Luffee — Mother Odder

Without DeLayna the Odder Club would not exist. As our original president she set a new standard for loving kindness and generosity. She made her transition in September 2023.

Think you're odd enough?

Come to one dip. Sign the waiver on your phone, get in the water with us, and decide afterwards.

Find a dip